6 podcasts about books to download this week

Take a listen to these podcasts about our favourite subject- books!

Covering forgotten classics, debut authors, writing inspiration and more, take a listen to these podcasts about our favourite subject- books!

Backlisted

Backlisted podcast logo.

The premise of the Backlisted Podcast is simple. Each month hosts John and Andy invite a guest on the show to talk about a less known literary gem that they love, more often than not persuading you that should read it too. 

Previous guest picks include Willa Cather's My Antonia, Nabakov's The Gift, and Raymond Chandler's Marlowe Mystery, The High Window.

Download Backlisted Podcast


Mostly Lit Podcast

Mostly Lit logo

Join 20-somethings Alex Reads, Rai, and Derek Owusu - aka Mostly Lit - each week as they talk books, films, pop culture, wellness, and everything in between.

Download Mostly Lit Podcast


Radio Four: Books and Authors

Radio 4 Books & Authors logo

The best bits from Radio Four's Open Book and A Good Read; this weekly podcast features interviews, reviews and discussion about the best new fiction and non-fiction.

Download the Books and Authors podcast


The Riff Raff Podcast

Riff Raff logo

The Riff Raff is a writers' community co-founded by authors Amy Baker and Rosy Edwards. Each episode of their monthly podcast features an interview with a debut author; who shares their story of getting published, along with writing tips and career advice for aspiring authors. Take a listen to this episode with Picador's Sharlene Teo, author of Ponti.

Download The Riff Raff Podcast


The LRB Podcast

LRB logo

In their fortnightly podcast, the London Review of Books invites contributors to read from their work, introduced by the magazine's editorial team. Recent guests include Anne Enright, Alan Bennett and Mary Beard.

Download The LRB Podcast


Desert Island Discs

Desert Island Discs logo

Although not a book podcast, the online archives of this long-running Radio Four show, which go back to 1942, are filled to the rafters with interviews with literary giants.

Here are just a few to start off with:

Kirsty Young interviews Colm Tóibín in 2016

Lauren Laverne interviews Ann Cleeves in 2019


Discover more exceptional modern authors and their novels, or tune into the best poetry podcasts for inspiring and thought-provoking discussions.